Chapter Text
It was just another day so far, Hermione was cuddled up next to Harry at 12 Grimmauld Place, both of them patiently waiting for the next movie on ITV to start. Having spent most of the day roaming the latest book store Harry had spotted for her. Really Hermione thought this day couldn’t be much better. So when Harry asked Hermione if she wanted to move in with him, she had surprised herself with the eager squeal she’d let out before pouncing on him. This wasn’t a complete shock to Hermione, despite the evidence present.
She and Harry have been together almost two years now, since the end of the Second Wizarding War. Of the two years together, Hermione found more and more frequently that by the time she eventually made it back to her own flat. Almost all of the muggle food she had bought the last time was severely past its use-by date. When Hermione thought back on just how often she was in her own flat. She realised that her neighbours had changed several times during her two year stay and quite embarrassingly she couldn’t pin-point at all when the changes had taken place.
If Hermione was being honest with herself, she wasn’t that bothered with her flat to begin with. No, truthfully she secretly hated the flat. Since it was a reminder that she was away from Harry. Not that there was anything conceptually wrong with that, or at least that’s what she told herself. Sometimes she loved curling up against the window with a book and observing the hustle and bustle of London, or being able to just power through all the work the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was sending her way. Whilst not technically working for the DMLE, she had been given the opportunity to freelance for them whenever they had a busy spell, which for a post war wizarding Britain, was often.
Had it been left up to Hermione, she would’ve gone straight from Hogwarts to 12 Grimmauld Place to join Harry as soon as she’d finished retaking her seventh year. Of course, her parent’s throw a spanner in the works. Whilst not hating Hermione for realistically saving their lives (especially given that by the time they had reunited in Australia and returned to England. The Granger Family home was magically trashed by who Hermione assumed were straggler Death Eaters) Richard and Jean Granger were still so unbelievably upset that their little girl would obliviate their memories. Not to mention risk her life all for some ‘Chosen One’, when she could have focused on keeping herself safe with them. So you can imagine their suprise when Hermione mentioned that she had found a boyfriend, and the shock that followed when she told them that his name was Harry Potter. Of course any mother would be proud that their child has found love. But a small part of Jean was scared for a while that Hermione was just too much for the ‘average bloke’. Hell even the best wizards were wary of Hermione, should her increasingly less frequent school letters be anything to go by. Still, it scared them both when she spoke at such great lengths of the boy who in their eyes was responsible for all the danger and distrust that was now a part of The Grangers. Richard and Jean were normally the definition of cool, calm and collected parents. However they weren’t above using every trick in guilting Hermione to stay at home for her that summer. Hermione saw through the guilt tricks almost instantly but was still shocked that her parents opted for them. Realising this must be something they desperately wanted and given her own guilty conscience for everything surrounding the “O-Word” as it was so aptly named. She relented and agreed to staying with her slightly-strained family.
One would assume that things would get better between the three Grangers and a certain Boy-Who-Lived. Sadly for a particular brown-eyed, bushy haired Granger, that was not the case. If anything, somehow things got worse, worse than even Hermione could think to imagine. It seemed like no matter what Harry did to try and impress them, her parents seemed hell bent on hating Harry. If he turned up with the pre-approved list of Chinese take-out (that Hermione secured him), then suddenly her parents didn’t eat take-out. Even when there was still left over pizza in the fridge. If he offered to help Richard with replacing the garden something Harry was (to Hermione’s dismay, really Petunia was lucky she was still hidden) exceptionally gifted at. Richard would proceed to let Harry do only the most mundane tasks he could offer. Such as taking trips to the gardening store for tools or ensuring the pots all had the correct level of soil. None of the truly artistic or skilled work that Richard could barely do himself was offered to Harry.
In a lot of ways, Hermione was glad that she had only needed to put up with this melodrama between the foursome for a few weeks before returning to Hogwarts. But when the conversation of living situations post Hogwarts came around, it seemed like it was a never ending argument between Hermione and her parents. Richard had taken the rather archaic stance that Hermione shouldn’t live with Harry unless there was at least an engagement ring. Both her and her mother scoffed at that view, before letting Richard know just how much of a ‘Richard’ he was really being. Jean on the other hand was unconcerned with engagements and marriage and more focused on not letting Hermione be manipulated away from them. Jean seemed unphased by Hermione’s repeated attempts to squash this notion.
“Honestly mum, from the way you and Dad speak, you’d think Harry was using mind control magic on me” said Hermione.
Jean turned and gave what could only be described as a look between anger and concern, “What's to say he isn’t! Between everything you’ve said about Him and what we’ve seen since we’ve met him, there's been no end of questionable situations. I don’t like the idea of you living with him so young. There’s a whole world out there and you want to jump straight into playing house. You should enjoy being an adult, young and free.”
Hermione looked back in surprise, she was never one to step into something without knowing as much as possible and living with her long term boyfriend was no different. Truly she was already used to it from their adventures in the famed tent. Even if just looking at tents at the garden store with Harry gave them both unsettling nerves. As far as she was concerned, the only difference between the tent and Grimmauld Place was that she didn’t need to ward the house… much.
But Hermione was also one to reevaluate a situation, whilst living with Harry would be amazing. She needed to be absolutely certain their relationship was for life, just the thought of it being anything but rock solid gave her chills. Not once did she think Harry would give her anything to doubt his commitment to her. But she also knew that almost nothing of their relationship was considered ‘normal’. Really how many couples form in the middle of a war, whilst running around the UK in the dead of winter living out of a tent and fearing the next person you see will be your end. “Maybe I should form a tent recovery group” she thought to herself
“So what would you have me do mum? You know we’ve already lived together. I understand you're worried, but you’ve seen the way Harry is around me. He’d sooner die than let something happen to me. We aren’t some school shack up!” At this Hermione started pacing around the kitchen, trying desperately to figure out how she was going to manage this.
On the one hand she had an amazing boyfriend who she just wanted to be near constantly. On the other she had just started getting back into a good place with both her parents. Hermione knew nothing in love was simple, but truly this situation was pushing even her limits.
In the end, it was Harry who solved all the trouble between the three. “Why don’t you get your own place just for the year. We’re already used to living apart anyway, and it’s not like either of us are going anywhere. This way, your parents won’t be on your case about me, you can make sure you’re certain about how we are, even though I know your worry for nothing. Whilst I can focus on proving just how much the wait will be worth.”
It was time’s like this that Hermione was glad to be with Harry. It didn’t matter how small or large her problem was, he just seemed to ‘get it’, even when she herself didn’t quite ‘get it’. “I love you, you know that. It’s time like this that make me realise that no matter what, we’ll make it through this”
Harry slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. “I love you too, panic and fear included. Besides… I never said you couldn’t come stay over” with that he kissed her quickly before they started pulling at each other's clothes. After a trip to the laundry room, bathroom and bedroom, they finally settled down on Hermione’s former teen bed.